Hajj 2020 in Coronavirus Era : Very Different, Symbolic Hajj Pilgrimage Begins in Saudi Arabia
Dubai : The Hajj pilgrimage that began in Saudi Arabia between the corona virus saw a different view. People had masks on their faces, maintaining social distance and they were coming in small groups after isolation. Very few people have been allowed to perform Hajj here. Only those people from abroad who have been living here have been allowed to perform Hajj.
This time, those who got permission to perform Hajj this year, on reaching Mecca last week, their corona test was done and temperature was also checked. The devotees have been ordered to stay essentially quarantine before and after the Hajj Pilgrimage.
Country’s minister for religious affairs, Mohammad Saleh, said that the people who have come here have been quarantined in their homes, after which they will have to stay in the Mecca hotels for four days. Among those taking part in the Hajj this year, 30 percent are Saudi Arabians and others are citizens of other countries living in Saudi.
The Hajj is one of Islam’s most important requirements, performed once in a lifetime. It follows a route the Prophet Muhammad walked nearly 1,400 years ago and is believed to ultimately trace the footsteps of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael as they are named in the Bible.
The Hajj, both physically and spiritually demanding, is intended to bring about greater humility and unity among Muslims.
The pilgrimage is a journey that Muslims traditionally experience with relatives. In past years, it was common to see men pushing their elderly parents around on wheelchairs in order to help them complete the hajj, and parents carrying children on their backs. The communal feeling of more than 2.5 million people from around the world – Shiite, Sunni and other Muslim sects — praying together, eating together and repenting together has long been part of what makes hajj both a challenging and rewarding experience like none other.
This year, however, pilgrims are eating prepackaged meals alone in their hotel rooms and praying at a distance from one another. The Saudi government is covering all the pilgrims’ expenses of travel, accommodation, meals and healthcare.
While the experience is starkly different, it remains an opportunity for pilgrims to wipe clean past sins and deepen their faith.
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